Levon Helm

I loved actually that song, Wide River to Cross, that has been recorded.

Levon Helm did a beautiful version.

Diana Krall did a great version.

Yeah.

The last one, because it meant a lot, I should remember that.

The last one I shot was Levon Helm of the band.

I went up to his place in Woodstock.

He had a barn where he had the Midnight Ramble shows.

Right.

So I contacted his, I guess, his assistant and I said, oh, I'd love to meet Levon Helm.

I grew up with the band and I just and I think I heard he was going through a tough time and stuff.

And I said, you know, I just want to get paid.

Good morning.

How you doing, Bob? Where else can I go where you hear Levon Helm, Democrats called communists, and Page Cognetti revealed as an Oregonian-

There you go

...

But I saw...

You know, I stood up on my chair to see Levon Helm drum.

And, um, that I think is where I sort of got really introduced to the majesty of songwriting, that, you know, there were people, um, coming out on stage just them and their instrument, uh, you know, and, and holding, uh, you know, thousands of people sort of in the palm of their hand.

That was an incredible thing to see from such a young age.

The Last Waltz was conceived, announced, and designed as a public retirement party for the Band.

As Levon Helm himself, Steven Hyden, many others have written, it later emerged that Levon Helm, possibly other Band members, really did not want to retire and kind of resented, uh, Robbie Robertson's decision by fiat, "This is it.

The Band is done." But that was the environment into which The Last Waltz was, was made and released.

Stop Making Sense had a narrower brief.

I mean, then we don't have Rick Danko sitting in a dark studio listening to Sip the Wine and having this existential sort of ennui drift over him, uh, this little moment in the film, which is so great.

I want to lay down beside you.

You know, Levon Helm talking about the midnight rambles that he went to when he was a kid.

Yeah.